Great news: Chatham County Commissioners passed a resolution of support for the UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons on May 15th! More details below.

Changes to Note: National Priorities where we get our local costs figures has updated their data to FY 2023 from FY2021. The changes are dramatic, which is a point we can emphasize; we do need to be aware of the new data. Example: Raleigh’s costs for nuclear weapons and associated costs jumped from $34.99 million to $49.23 million! See https://tinyurl.com/2djubh37 to check out your local data.

Read on for updates and actions needed;

Burlington Suzanne Shoffner – 3-2 no vote but will return when other cities have passed it.
Carrboro PASSED December 6, 2022
Chapel Hill PASSED January 25, 2023 Thanks to Karen Stegman, Mayor pro Tem, and Mayor Pam Hemminger, and Council members Jessica Anderson, Camille Berry, Tai Huynh, Paris Miller-Foushee, Michael Parker, Amy Ryan, Adam Searing..
Chatham County Commissioners PASSED Thanks to Steve Woolford, John Wagner, y h Patt, Kathy Markatos, Jerry Markatos, and Mike Holland and the Commissioners: Chair Karen Howard, Mike Dasher, David Delaney, Katie Kenlen Franklin Gomez Flores. You can thank them all. https://www.chathamcountync.gov/government/board-of-commissioners/commissioner-contacts-bios
Durham PASSED January 17, 2023 See above. We thank Mayor Elaine O’Neal, Mayor Pro Tempore Mark-Anthony Middleton, Javiera Caballero, DeDreana Freeman, Monique Holsey-Hyman [though absent], Jillian Johnson, and Leonardo Williams for their unanimous support.
Elon We are still working to get an additional council member to sign a letter of support.
Gibsonville Anne Cassebaum will ask one alderman and mayor to sign the Parliamentarian Pledge individually.
Green Level PASSED – August 11, 2022. Thanks to Mayor McCollum, Mayor Pro Tem Enoch, Council Members Jones and McBroom.
Greensboro Steve Sumerford has formed a team to approach the Council: Rev. Julie Peeples, Tim Lindeman, Pat Boswell, Stephanie Hassan, Anne Cassebaum. An attached letter in the N&R on the effort appeared today. If you know anyone in Greensboro who would be supportive, please ask them to contact [email protected].
Hillsborough John Hartwell, Sharon Weir and Wes Hare will be moving this forward.
Mebane We need emails supporting a Resolution on the UN Treaty for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, no matter where you live, to the Mebane City Council.
https://tinyurl.com/yc8d9k34

Pittsboro Steve Woolford, John Wagner, y h Patt and Jerry Markatos are now focussing on Pittsboro after their success with the Chatham County Commissioners.
Raleigh Sandy Irving, Joe Burton, and others are still at it. Here’s Joe’s update: In Raleigh, we have a new council. We have met with 3 council members and will meet a 4th on May 2 (all women). All so far have been supportive of the resolution. One at large member refuses to meet with us. At least this time around we are able to get meetings before presentation of the resolution to the Council.

Necessary Information – Learning as we go….

(1) Getting cities to vote for the ICAN Cities Appeal Statement is still the number one priority for ICAN.

(2) As we struggle in Alamance County, we learned from ICAN, see attachment, that failing a positive council vote:

a. Councils can simply send a letter of support signed by those in agreement and their city will be listed as supporting the ICAN Cities Appeal

b. Failing that… supportive council members can sign the parliamentarians pledge, see pledge.icanw.org. [2.a. is prefereable, but this is something.]

SUMMARY: This is reassuring news because whatever the vote, we can now both 1] raise awareness about the Treaty [even a no vote can do that] and 2] actually show support that ICAN can record for their worldwide effort.

(3) Add the word federal when you talk about the tax dollars that leave your town/city to go for Nuclear Weapons. It seems obvious to those of us focused on this, but Mayor Elaine O’Neal of Durham was puzzled until we clarified these are federal tax dollars.

(4) Some councils have a specific format for resolutions and like formality. Please reply to this email for samples.

(5) It is crucial to make clear that this is a call for Mutual Nuclear Disarmament. We are not asking our government to unilaterally disarm. The Resolution says we call on governments. When Libby made this clear in Durham, a doubtful council member said he could support it.